Network Cabinet

ABSTRACT

A network cabinet is provided comprising a base member, two pairs of vertical frame rail members connected to the base member and a top cover supported by at least one of the vertical frame rail members. The base member defines an opening and another opening is defined in the top cover. The vertical frame rail members are positioned spaced apart from four sidewalls from four corners of the cabinet formed by the four sidewalls, where each sidewall comprises a panel or a door. The two pairs of vertical frame rail members and the four sidewalls define at least one cable management pathway and at least a portion of the cable management pathway is vertically aligned with at least a portion of the opening of the base member and the opening of the top cover.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/467,956filed Aug. 29, 2006, which claims priority to provisional patentapplication No. 60/781,923, filed Mar. 13, 2006.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to network cabinets for cable connections and,more particularly to grounded cabinets for switching and patchingapplications.

BACKGROUND

There is a need for cabinets that provide cabinet access to the internalportions of the cabinet to install or modify cable connections and toprovide less obtrusive ways to ground the cabinet, as well as otherfeatures that provide efficiencies and conveniences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an improved network cabinet.

In one embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, a vertical frame rail member connected to the base member, andan equipment rail. The vertical frame rail member is positioned spacedapart from at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinetformed by the two adjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewallscomprises a panel or a door. The equipment rail is positionable into aspaced apart relationship with the vertical frame rail member.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember and a pair of vertical frame rail members connected to the basemember. The base member defines an opening, and the pair of verticalframe rail members are positioned spaced apart from at least twoadjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinet formed by the twoadjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewalls comprises a panel or adoor. The vertical frame rail members and one of the sidewalls define acable management pathway and at least a portion of the cable managementpathway is vertically aligned with at least a portion of the opening.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, a pair of vertical frame rail members connected to the basemember, and a top cover supported by at least one of the vertical framerail members. The vertical frame rail members are positioned spacedapart from at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinetformed by the two adjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewallscomprises a panel or a door. The vertical frame rail members and one ofthe sidewalls define a cable management pathway and at least a portionof the cable management pathway is vertically aligned with at least aportion of an opening defined in the top cover.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, a vertical frame rail member connected to the base member, andat least one finger secured to and extending from the vertical framerail member. The vertical frame rail member is positioned spaced apartfrom at least two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinet formedby the two adjacent sidewalls, where each of the sidewalls comprises apanel or a door.

In another embodiment, a network cabinet is provided comprising a basemember, two pairs of vertical frame rail members connected to the basemember, and a top cover supported by at least one of the vertical framerail members. The base member defines an opening and another opening isdefined in the top cover. The vertical frame rail members are positionedspaced apart from four sidewalls from four corners of the cabinet formedby the four sidewalls, where each sidewall comprises a panel or a door.The two pairs of vertical frame rail members and the four sidewallsdefine at least one cable management pathway and at least a portion ofthe cable management pathway is vertically aligned with at least aportion of the opening of the base member and the opening of the topcover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by theaccompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are notnecessarily to scale and that details that are not necessary for anunderstanding of the invention or that render other details difficult toperceive may be omitted. It should be understood, of course, that theinvention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodimentsillustrated herein.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the network cabinet of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the base frame of the networkcabinet of the present invention:

FIG. 2B is an enlarged partial exploded view of the front door mount andbase frame shown in FIG. 2A:

FIG. 2C is an enlarged partial exploded view of the adjustable equipmentrail and base frame shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D is a top view of the base member of the network cabinet of thepresent invention:

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 4A is a bottom perspective view of the base frame of FIG. 2A andtop cover of the network cabinet of the present invention:

FIG. 4B is an enlarged partial view of the base frame and top covershown in FIG. 4A:

FIG. 5A is a top view of the top cover of the network cabinet of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5B is an enlarged partial view of a cable entry knockout shown inFIG. 5A:

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view of the base frame, top cover,and side panels of the network cabinet of the present invention:

FIG. 7B is an enlarged partial exploded view of the base frame and sidepanel brackets shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the base frame, top cover, and sidepanels of the network cabinet of the present invention, with one sidepanel partially installed;

FIG. 8B is an enlarged partial view of the base frame, top cover, andside panel shown in FIG. 8A:

FIG. 8C is an enlarged partial view of the top cover and grounding clipshown in FIG. 8B:

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8A;

FIG. 10A is a back perspective view of the network cabinet of thepresent invention:

FIG. 10B is an enlarged partial view of the door handle shown in FIG.10A:

FIG. 10C is an enlarged partial view of the back of the door handleshown in FIG. 10B:

FIG. 10D is a back perspective view of the back doors of the networkcabinet of the present invention with an alternative latch mechanism;

FIG. 10E is an enlarged partial view of the alternative latch mechanismshown in FIG. 10D in the open position:

FIG. 10F is an enlarged partial view of the alternative latch mechanismshown in FIG. 10D in the closed position;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10A:

FIG. 12A is a front perspective view of the network cabinet of thepresent invention, with the front door partially open:

FIG. 12B is an enlarged partial view of a safety hinge of the front doorshown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 12C is a back view of the safety hinge in FIG. 12B:

FIG. 12D is an enlarged partial view of a second safety hinge of thefront door shown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 12E is an enlarged partial view of a front door lifting mechanismof the front door shown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 12F is a back perspective view of the front door of the networkcabinet shown in FIG. 12A with an alternative latch mechanism:

FIG. 12G is an enlarged partial view of the alternative latch mechanismof the front door shown in FIG. 12F:

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 12A:

FIG. 14A is a front perspective view of the base frame of the networkcabinet of the current invention with caster assemblies, cablemanagement units, and slack management spools attached:

FIG. 14B is an exploded, enlarged partial view of a caster assemblyshown in FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15A is a back perspective view of a right hand cable managementunit:

FIG. 15B is a back perspective view of a left hand cable managementunit;

FIG. 16A is an exploded partial enlarged view showing the attachment ofa right hand cable management unit to the base frame of the networkcabinet of the present invention;

FIG. 16B is an exploded partial enlarged view showing the attachment ofa left hand cable management unit to the base frame of the networkcabinet of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 15B:

FIG. 18A is an exploded partial enlarged view showing the attachment ofa slack management spool to the base frame of the network cabinet of thepresent invention:

FIG. 18B is a side view of the slack management spool shown in FIG. 18A;

FIG. 19 is a front perspective view of two network cabinets gangedtogether;

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of the network cabinets in FIG. 19,with the front doors open; and

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 21-21 in FIG. 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a network cabinet 10 according tothe present invention is shown. In the embodiment shown, the networkcabinet generally includes a base frame 100, top cover 200, side panels300, back doors 400, and front door 500. When fully assembled, theexemplary network cabinet is approximately 32 inches wide, 40 inchesdeep, and 84 inches high and has 45 rack units with a 2.000 pound loadrating.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an exemplary base frame 100 of the network cabinetis shown. In this embodiment, the base frame 100 is conductive andgenerally includes a pair of front vertical frame rails 105, a pair ofback vertical frame rails 110, a pair of front to back base beams 115, apair of side to side base beams 120, a pair of front to back top beams125, a pair of side to side top beams 130, and front to back supportbeams 135, all of which are typically steel but can be made of anysuitable conductive or non-conductive material. As can be seen in FIGS.1 and 2A and as described in more detail below, the front and backvertical frame rails 105, 110 are inset from side panels 300, back doors400, front door 500, and the corners of the network cabinet 10 that areformed by side panels 300, back doors 400, and front door 500. Thisinset provides unobstructed space along all of the sides of the networkcabinet 10 for cable management pathways.

In the embodiment shown, the side to side base beams 120 have arectangular cross-section geometry and are positioned between andperpendicular to the front to back base beams 115, which also have arectangular cross-section geometry. The side to side base beams 120 arewelded to the front to back base beams 115 and, along with the doormounts 15, form a base member for the network cabinet and defineopenings 123, as seen in FIG. 2D as the cross-hatched areas. The frontvertical frame rails 105 and back vertical frame rails 110 have agenerally “C” shaped cross-section geometry and are positionedvertically on the front to back base beams 115 and welded to the frontto back base beams 115. The space created by setting frame rails 105,110 back from the side panels 300 provides cable management pathwaybetween the frame rails 105, 110 and the side panels 300 when thenetwork cabinet is fully assembled. The side to side top beams 130 havea generally “U” shaped cross-section geometry and are positioned betweenand perpendicular to the front to back top beams 125, which have agenerally “C” shaped cross-section geometry. The side to side top beams130 are welded to the front to back top beams 125 to form a support forthe top cover and are supported by vertical frame rails 105, 110. Thefront to back top beams 125 are positioned at the top end of the frontand back vertical frame rails 105, 110 and welded to the front and backvertical frame rails 105, 110. The front and back vertical frame rails105, 110 are positioned so that they arc set back from the correspondingends of the front to back base beams 115. The space created by settingthe frame rails 105, 110 back from the ends of the front to back basebeams 115 provides a cable management pathway between the frame rails105, 110 and the front and back doors 500, 400 when the network cabinetis fully assembled.

In the embodiment shown, the front to back support beams 135 have agenerally “C” shaped cross-section geometry, are positioned between andperpendicular to corresponding front and back vertical frame rails 105,110, and are welded to the front and back vertical frame rails 105, 110.By welding together all of the steel components of the base frame 100,the base frame 100 is a single conductive, bonded unit. In this example,a ground whip 25 is bonded to front to back top beam 125 and is, inturn, connected at its opposing end to a main building ground. Groundwhip 25 can also be attached to any other base frame 100 structuralmember to provide a single ground point for the base frame 100.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a pair of steel door mounts 15 are shownthat have a generally “L” shaped cross-section geometry and are used tosupport the back and front doors 400, 500. Each door mount 15 isattached to an end of each front to back base beam 115 by bolts 30 thatextend through holes 16 in the door mounts 15 and thread into nuts 40that are welded to end caps (not shown), which are attached and bondedto the ends of the front to back base beams 115, such as by welding. Inaddition, as shown in FIG. 2B, at one of the two attachment points thedoor mount 15 is also bonded to the front to back base beam 115 byplacing an internal tooth lock washer 35 between the bolt 30 and thedoor mount 15. The bolt 30 is inserted through the internal tooth lockwasher 35 and through a hole 16 in the door mount 15 and is threadedinto nut 40. The internal tooth lock washer 35 has teeth that pierce thepaint or coating on the door mount 15 and bite into the metal of thedoor mount 15 to provide a ground path between the door mount 15 and thefront to back base beam 115 through washer 35, bolt 30, and nut 40. Ananti-oxidant paste could also be placed on the door mount 15, betweenthe door mount 15 and lock washer 35, to prevent possible corrosionwhere the teeth of the lock washer 35 bite into the metal of the doormount 15. Alternatively, a regular washer could be used and the areaaround the hole 16 could be masked off or a serrated head bolt could beused in place of the bolt 30 and internal tooth lock washer 35 tosimilarly provide a bond between door mount 15 and front to back basebeam 115 if bonding is desired.

Although the various elements of base frame 100 have been describedabove as having a particular geometry, being made of a particularmaterial, and having particular connections, it will be understood thateach of these elements could be made of varying geometries, varyingmaterials, and connected by any suitable means as a particularapplication requires.

Referring to FIGS. 2A, 2C, and 3, in this embodiment steel adjustableequipment rails 20 are shown that have a generally “L” shapedcross-section geometry and are used to mount equipment, such as patchpanels, switches, or other network hardware equipment (not shown) in thenetwork cabinet. Adjustable equipment rails 20 can also be made of othermaterials and have other geometries as required by a particularapplication. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the equipment rails 20 eachhave a series of mounting holes 23 that are used to mount equipment tothe equipment rails 20. In one example, the mounting holes 23 can betapped holes that are threaded to accept a mounting bolt or screw (notshown) or in another example can be square holes that are adapted toaccept a caged nut, which will then accept a mounting bolt or screw. Inaddition, as described in more detail below, the equipment rails 20 canbe adjusted in relation to the frame rails 105, 110 by sliding themforward and backward along the front to back support beams 135. Theequipment rails 20 enable equipment to be mounted at four points and inthe exemplary network cabinet 10 can accommodate mounting depths of upto 25.9 inches.

Each equipment rail 20 can extend approximately from a front to backbase beam 115 to the corresponding front to back top beam 125 and isconnected to each of the three front to back support beams 135 which areeach positioned at different elevations opposing sides of the base frame100. In this embodiment, the equipment rails are connected to two of thefront to back support beams 135 by inserting a bolt 45 through a hole 21in one side of the equipment rail 20 and through a slot 140 (see FIG.2C) in the front to back support beams 135 so that the threaded end ofthe bolt 45 extends into a channel 145 formed by the front to backsupport beam 135. A jam-nut 55 is positioned within the channel 145 andthe bolt is threaded into the jam-nut 55. The jam-nut 55 here has anoblong con figuration in which the length of the jam-nut 55 is greaterthan the width of the channel 145, thereby preventing rotation of thejam-nut 55 within the channel 145. The use of the jam-nut 55 allows thebolt 45 to be tightened without the need for a wrench or other tool tohold the nut securely within the channel 145. In addition, the use ofbolt 45 and jam-nut 55 allows easy loosening of the connection betweenthe adjustable equipment rails 20 and the front to back support beams135, allowing for easy adjustment of the equipment rails 20 along frontto back support beam 135.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 3, in this embodiment at the thirdconnection of equipment rail 20 to a front to back support beam 135, theconnection is bonded by placing an internal tooth lock washer 50 betweenthe bolt 45 and the equipment rail 20 and a second internal tooth lockwasher 51 between the jam-nut 55 and the front to back support beam 135.The internal tooth lock washers 50, 51 have teeth that pierce the paintor coating and bite into the metal of the equipment rail 20 and front toback support beams 135. An anti-oxidant paste could also be placed onthe equipment rail 20 and front to back support beam 135, underneath thelock washers 50, 51, to prevent possible corrosion where the teeth ofthe lock washers 50, 51 bite into the metal of the equipment rail 20 andfront to back support beam 135. This provides a ground path from theequipment rail 20 to the front to back support beams 135 through thebolt 45, washers 50, 51, and jam-nut 55. This bonding makes adjustmentof the equipment rails 20 more convenient since there are no jumperwires to disconnect and reconnect when the equipment rails 20 are moved.Alternatively, regular washers could be used and the area around thehole in the adjustable equipment rail 20 and the slot 140 in the frontto back support beam 135 could be masked off or a serrated head boltcould be used in place of the bolt 45 and lock washer 50 if bonding isdesired.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in this embodiment the top cover 200 isgenerally rectangular steel sheet having rolled over edges that ispositioned on the front to back top beams 125 and side to side top beams130 and secured to the front to back top beams 125. Four steel threadedmembers 230 are welded to the bottom side of the top cover 200 andextend from the bottom side of the top cover 200 such that they alignwith holes or slots (not shown) in the top surfaces of the front to backtop beams 125. The threaded members 230 are aligned with and insertedinto the holes in the front to back top beams 125 such that they extendthrough the holes. On three of the threaded members 230, hex nuts 235are threaded onto the threaded members 230 to secure the top cover 200.On the fourth threaded member 230, the top cover 200 is also bonded tothe front to back top beam 125 by placing an internal tooth lock washer240 between the hex nut 235 and the front to back top beam 125. Ananti-oxidant paste could also be placed on the front to back top beam125, underneath the lock washer 240, to prevent possible corrosion wherethe teeth of the lock washer 240 bites into the metal of the front toback top beam 125. This provides a ground path from the top cover 200 tothe front to back top beam 125 through the threaded member 230 hex nut235, and lock washer 240. Alternatively, a regular washer could be usedand the area around the hole in the front to back top beam 125 could bemasked off or an internal tooth hex nut could be used in place of hexnut 235 and lock washer 240 if bonding is desired. In addition, topcover 200 could be constructed of any geometry and material and beconnected via any means appropriate for a given application.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the top cover 200 also has a centerknockout 205 and multiple cable entry knockouts 210. The center knockout205 can be removed to form an opening in top cover 200 to provide accessto and ventilation for a fan mounted in the cabinet, for louvers, forcable entry, etc., and the cable entry knockouts 210 can be removed toform openings in top cover 200 to provide cable entry access in anover-head cable deployment application.

In this particular embodiment, each knockout 205, 210 is formed bycutting a slot 215 through the top cover 200 around the periphery ofeach knockout 205, 210. The slot 215 is cut almost completely around theperiphery of each knockout 205, 210, except for the areas of the joiningwebs 225, which connect the main portion of the top cover 200 to theknockouts 205, 210 and hold the knockouts 205, 210 in place prior toremoval. Each knockout 205, 210 has a minimum of four joining webs 225,as shown in FIG. 5B. The use of at least four joining webs 225 securelyholds the knockouts 205, 210 in place in the installed position, whereastypical larger-size knockouts in sheet-metal components have beenloosely held with only two joining webs and have been susceptible toinadvertent removal. In addition, at the end of each portion of the slot215, there is an enlarged opening 220, which is sized to accept commonhand tool cutters that can be used to cut the joining webs 225, whichmakes removal of the knockouts 205, 210 easier.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 6, four leveling legs 60 extend below thefront to back base beams 115 to provide support and leveling capabilityfor the network cabinet. As can best be seen in FIG. 6, in thisembodiment each leveling leg 60 has a top portion 61 that extendsthrough the top surface of the front to back base beam 115 and isaccessible above the front to back base beam 115. The top portion 61 hasa hexagonal or other cross-section that can be used with a socket wrenchor other similar tool to raise and lower the leveling legs 60, asdescribed below. Alternatively, the top portion 61 could be slotted sothat it can be used with a screwdriver or other similar tool to raiseand lower the leveling legs 60. Each leveling leg 60 also has a threadedbody portion 63. The threaded body portion 63 is threaded through a nut65 that is welded to a leveling leg support 70, which is attached andbonded to the front to back base beam 115, such as by welding. Thissecures the leveling leg 60 to the front to back base beam 115 andallows adjustment of the leveling leg 60, as discussed below. The foot64 of the leveling leg is positioned below the front to back base beam115 and is the portion of the leveling leg 60 that rests on the groundor floor to provide support.

With this construction, to adjust the height or level the networkcabinet, a socket wrench or other similar tool is placed oil the topportion 61 and the leveling leg 60 is rotated. As the leveling leg 60 isrotated, the interaction of the threaded body portion 63 and the nut 65will raise or lower the leveling leg 60 depending on the direction ofrotation. In this fashion, adjustment of the height of the front to backbase beam 115 off of the floor can be accomplished. Being able to accessand rotate the leveling legs 60 from the top allows the leveling legs 60to be easily adjusted without having to tip or move the network cabinet.It also assists with the installation/removal of optional casters, whichis discussed in more detail below. Furthermore, when casters are notinstalled, the leveling legs 60 can be fully retracted into the front toback base beams 115 so that the front to back base beams 115 and side toside base beams 120 will sit on the ground and the cabinet load will bedistributed.

Referring to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 9, the side panels 300 in thisembodiment are generally rectangular sheet steel that can be solid orperforated for aesthetics and air flow. Alternatively, rather than usinga single side panel 300 per side of the network cabinet, multiple sidepanels could be used on each side and various geometries, materials, anddesigns could be used depending on the particular application. Here, theside panels 300 have hooks 305 attached to the bottom inside surface ofthe side panels 300 and latches 315 attached to the top of the sidepanels 300.

To mount the side panels 300, a bar 310 is attached between the frontand back door mounts 15 by end brackets 312. The bar 310 is alsosupported near its center by center bracket 311, which is attached tothe front to back base beam 115. As can best he seen in FIGS. 8A and 9,the hooks 305 are placed over the bar 310 to support the side panel 300and the side panel 300 is aligned. The side panel 300 is then rotatedinto a vertical position and the latches 315 secure the side panel 300to a side flange 202 of the top cover 200. Alternatively, the latches315 can also have a locking assembly that allows the latches 315 to belocked into position once the side panels 300 have been mounted.

As can best be seen in FIG. 7B, in this embodiment a center bracket 320is attached and bonded to the center front to back support beam 135 andside brackets 325 are attached and bonded to a front vertical frame rail105 and a back vertical frame rail 110. Trilobular screws 330 can beinserted through holes 321 in the brackets 320, 325 and threaded intothe front to back support beam 135 and vertical frame rails 105, 110,securing the brackets 320, 325 to the front to back support beam 135 andvertical frame rails 105, 110. The trilobular screws 330 can also beused to bond to the front and back support beam 135 and vertical framerails 105, 110 by cutting threads into the metal of the front to backsupport beam 135 and vertical frame rails 105, 110. An area around theholes 321 in the brackets 320, 325 is masked and left unpainted, therebyalso bonding the trilobular screws 330 to the brackets 320, 325.Alternatively, rather than masking portions around the holes 321, atrilobular screw having teeth on the underside of the head that will cutinto the metal of the brackets 320, 325 can be used if bonding isdesired.

In this embodiment, the brackets 320, 325 provide support for the sidepanels 300 and offset the side panels 300 from the front and backvertical frame rails 105, 110 and front to back support rails 135,thereby providing easily accessible vertical cable management pathwaysbetween the side panels 300 and the front and back vertical frame rails105, 100 and front to back support rails 135. In addition, brackets 325on each side of bracket 320 provide a guide or channel for placingcables extending in a vertical direction within the cabinet andproximate to the respective corners of the cabinet. Alternatively,brackets 320, 325 could be removed if not needed for a particularapplication.

Referring to FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, in this embodiment the side panels300 are bonded to top cover 200 through a grounding clip 335. Thegrounding clip 335 is attached to a masked, unpainted portion of theside flange 202 of the top cover 200. Each side panel 300 also has amasked, unpainted portion of the inside surface that contacts thegrounding clip 335 and compresses the grounding clip 335 once the sidepanel 300 is latched in place. The contact of the grounding clip 335with the masked, unpainted portions of the top cover 200 and side panel300 bonds each side panel 300 to the top cover 200.

Alternatively, rather than using grounding clips 335 to bond the sidepanels 300 to the top cover 200, the side panels 300 could be bonded tothe base frame 100 through the bar 310 and hooks 305. To provide bondingin this manner, one of the end brackets 312, which is welded to the bar310, would be attached to a door mount 15 so that a bond is created andone of the hooks 305 would be attached to the side panel 300 so that abond is created, such as by welding or the use of internal tooth lockwashers, trilobular screws, paint masking, etc., as describedthroughout. A bond would then be created between the bar 310 and thebonded hook 305 by paint masking the bar 310 in the area that willcontact the hook 305.

Referring to FIG. 10A, in this embodiment the back doors 400 are mountedto the back of the network cabinet 10 between the top cover 200 and theback door mount 15. In the example shown, the back doors 400 are splitdoors and are generally rectangular sheet steel that can be solid orperforated for aesthetics and air flow. Alternatively, rather than usingsplit doors, a single back door or any other type of door having variousgeometries and being made of various materials could be used dependingon the particular application. Here, each of the back doors 400 hingesopen on pins at the top and bottom of the outside corners of the backdoors 400.

Referring to FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, in the example shown, one of theback doors 400′ has a latch mechanism 405 that secures the door to thetop cover 200 and back door mount 15. The latch mechanism 405 has a doorhandle 410 that is accessible from the outside of the back door 400′ andcan also have a cylinder lock 430 that can lock the door handle 410 inthe closed position. On the inside of the back door 400′, the doorhandle 410 is connected to a cam plate 415 that can rotate as the doorhandle 410 is rotated. An upper rod 420 is attached to one end of thecam plate 415 and a lower rod 425 is attached to the other end of thecam plate 415, opposite the upper rod 420. The upper rod 420 extendsgenerally vertically from the cam plate 415 up to the top cover 200 andthe lower rod 425 extends generally vertically from the cam plate 415down to the door mount 15. When in the closed position, the upper rod420 extends into a hole in the top cover 200 and the lower rod 425extends into a hole in the door mount 15, thereby securing the back doorclosed.

In the example shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, one of the back doors400′ has a latch mechanism 405 and the opposite back door 400″ isoverlapped by the back door 400′ with the latch mechanism to hold it inthe closed position. Alternatively, rather than overlapping both backdoors 400′, 400″ could have latch mechanisms 405.

In another example, shown in FIGS. 10D, 10E, and 10F, one of the backdoors 400′ again has a latch mechanism 405A that secures the door to thetop cover 200 and back door mount 15. The latch mechanism 405A has adoor handle (not shown) that is accessible from the outside of the backdoor 400′ and can also have a cylinder lock 430A that can lock the doorhandle in the closed position. On the inside of the back door 400′, thedoor handle is connected to a cam plate 415A that can rotate as the doorhandle is rotated. An upper rod 420A is attached to one end of the camplate 415A and a lower rod 425A is attached to the other end of the camplate 415A, opposite the upper rod 420A. The upper rod 420A extendsgenerally vertically from the cam plate 415A up to the top cover 200 andthe lower rod 425A extends generally vertically from the cam plate 415Adown to the door mount 15. When in the closed position, the upper rod420A extends into a hole in the top cover 200 and the lower rod 425Aextends into a hole in the door mount 15, thereby securing the back doorclosed.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 10E and 10F, in the example shown, theback doors 400′, 400″ still overlap to hold the second door 400″ in theclosed position, but also have an additional feature to provide extrasecurity for the second door 400″. In the example shown, cam plate 415Ahas a locking arm 416 that extends outward from and generallyperpendicular to the axis of rotation of cam plate 515A and back door400″ has a plate 460 that includes a slot 465, which is configured toreceive locking arm 416. Plate 460 can be a separate piece that isattached to back door 400″, such as by welding or screws, or plate 460can be integrally formed with back door 400″. In addition, locking arm416 can be shaped in a stair-step configuration towards the back door400′ to move locking arm 416 away from the inside of the network cabinet10, which reduces the risk that locking arm 416 will pinch or catchcables or wiring that are in the cabinet 10.

As can be seen in FIG. 10E, when the latch mechanism 405A is in an openposition, locking arm 416 extends downward and does not engage slot 465and the back doors 400′, 400″ can be opened. Conversely, as can be seenin FIG. 10F, when the latch mechanism 405A is moved to a closedposition, locking arm 416 rotates until it is generally horizontal andengages slot 465. When in this position, the back door 400″ is securedby the overlap of back door 400′ over back door 400″ and also by theengagement of locking arm 416 with slot 465.

Referring to FIG. 11, each of the back doors 400 can be bonded to thetop cover 200 through a spring loaded hinge assembly 435, which includesa generally cylindrical body 440, hinge pin 445, release arm 455, andspring 450. The body 440 is steel, or other conductive material, and iswelded to the inside surface of the back door 440. The hinge pin 445 issteel, or other conductive materials and is positioned inside the body440. The release arm 455 is generally “L” shaped, extends through a holein the end of the body 440, and threads into the hinge pin 445. Spring450 is positioned inside of the body 440 and is compressed between thehinge pin 445 and the end of the body 440. Spring 450 biases the hingepin 445 outward from the body 440 and allows the hinge pin 445 to beretracted when the release arm 455 is pulled. Hinge pin 445 extends fromthe end of the body 440, through a hole in the top of the back door 400and through bushing 260 in top cover 200, where hinge pin 445 contacts athread forming screw 255 that is bonded to the top cover 200.

To bond the thread forming screw to the top cover 200, a conductiveground angle 245 is welded to the inside surface of the top cover 200and the thread forming screw 255 is threaded into the ground angle 245and into a nut 250 that is welded to the ground angle 245, therebyproviding a bond between the top cover 200 and the screw 255.

To install or remove the back door 400, the release arm 455 is pulleddownward, which compresses the spring 450 and retracts the hinge pin 445into the body 440. With the hinge pin 445 below the level of the bushing260, the back door 400 can be placed in position or removed. Once theback door 400 is in position, the release arm 455 is released and thespring 450 pushes the hinge pin 445 outward through the bushing 260until the hinge pin 445 contacts the screw 255.

In this example, the spring loaded hinge assembly 435 provides the hingemechanism for the back door 400 and also provides a positive groundingpath when the back doors 400 are installed. This allows the removal ofthe back doors 400 without the need of disconnecting any groundingjumper wires.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in this example the door mounts 15 alsohave holes 18 that are inset from the bushings 600 that receive thebottom fixed hinge pin for the back doors 300. Although FIGS. 2A and 2Bshow the door mount 15 for the front door 500, the two door mounts 15are mirror images of each other and the door mount 15 for the back doors400 contains identical holes 18. Referring to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 11, thetop cover 200 has holes 265 that are inset from the bushings 260 thatreceive the hinge pin 445 of the spring loaded hinge mechanism 435. Eachof the holes 18 in the door mounts 15 is aligned in a generally verticalaxis with a corresponding hole 265 in the top cover 200 and provides astorage mechanism for a back door 400 that has been removed.

For example, as described above, a back door 400 can be removed bypulling downward on the release arm 455, which retracts the hinge pin445 and allows the back door 400 to be tilted and removed. Rather thanhaving to lean the removed back door 400 on the cabinet 10 or against awall or other equipment where it can be bumped into or knocked over, theremoved back door 400 can be stored using holes 18 and 265 in the doormount 15 and top cover 200. To store the removed back door 400, theopposite back door is opened, the fixed hinge pin on the bottom of theremoved back door 400 is inserted into the hole 18 in the door mount 15nearest the bushing 600 of the open back door, and the hinge pin 445 ofthe spring loaded hinge mechanism 435 is inserted into the correspondinghole 265 in the top cover 200 by pulling downward on the release arm455.

Referring to FIG. 12A, in this embodiment front door 500 is mounted tothe front of the network cabinet 10 between top cover 200 and the frontdoor mount 15. In the example shown, the front door 500 is generallyrectangular sheet steel that can be solid or perforated for aestheticsand air flow, is dual hinged, as described in more detail below, and canbe opened from either the left or right side giving full access toeither the left or right rack and vertical cable management channelswithout having to remove front door 500. Alternatively, rather thanusing a single dual hinged door, split doors, a single hinged door, orany other type of door could be used as well and front door 500 could bemade of any geometry and of any material and design as required for aparticular application.

Referring to FIG. 12A, in this example, front door 500 has two latchmechanisms 505, one on each side of the front door 500. The latchmechanisms 505 have a door handle 510 (as shown in FIG. 19), cam plate515, upper rod 520, and lower rod 525, and are substantially identicalin operation to the latch mechanism 405 described above for the reardoors 400 (see FIGS. 10B and 10C). The latch mechanisms 505 can alsohave a cylinder lock 530 (as shown in FIG. 19), which can lock the doorhandle 510 in the closed position.

Referring to FIG. 12A, at each top and bottom corner of the front door500 (four positions total) is a locking hinge assembly 535. FIGS. 12Band 12D show the locking hinge assemblies 535 on the bottom corners ofthe front door 500 and it will be understood that the assemblies on thetop corners are identical to those described herein for the bottomcorners. FIG. 12C shows the backside of the latch mechanism shown inFIG. 12B. Each locking hinge assembly 535 includes a hinge lever 540,hinge support 542, hinge pin 545, an inner lever stop 555, and an outerlever stop 570. As used herein, an inner lever stop 555 is the leverstop that is closest to the hinge pin 545 and an outer lever stop 570 isthe lever stop that is furthest from the hinge pin 545.

The hinge support 542 has a generally vertical wall 543 that is attachedto the front door 500, such as by welding, with screws, etc., and agenerally horizontal wall 544 extends generally perpendicular from thetop of the vertical wall 543. The hinge lever 540 is mounted to thevertical wall 543 of hinge support 542 by pin 560 such that lever aim540 can rotate about pin 560. Hinge lever 540 is also rotatablyconnected to a lower rod 525 (or upper rod 520 depending on whichlocking hinge assembly) at one end and to the hinge pin 545 at the endopposite the lower rod 525. The hinge pin 545 extends generallyvertically through the front door 500 and through the horizontal wall544.

A lever stop hinge pin 550, as seen in FIG. 12C, is attached to thefront door 500 and the lever stops 555, 570 are mounted onto the leverstop hinge pin 550 such that the lever stops 555, 570 can rotate aboutthe hinge pin 550. Each of the lever stops 555, 570 has a generallyvertical stop arm 556, 571 and a generally horizontal release arm 557,572. A torsion spring 565 is mounted on the lever stop hinge pin 565 andhas ends that extend out to the stop arms 556, 571 of the lever stops555, 570 to bias the lever stops 555, 570 into a forward position.

In operation, when the front door 500 is closed (the closed position isdefined as both top corners of the front door 500 seated against the topcover 200 and both bottom corners of the front door 500 seated againstthe door mount 15) the upper and lower rods 520, 525 are pulled towardsthe center of the front door 500, thereby rotating the lever arms 540and extending the hinge pins 545 into their corresponding bushings 600in the door mount 15 or top cover 200. Therefore, the hinge pins 545 ineach of the four corners of the front door 500 engage the bushings 600in the door mount 15 or top cover 200 and the front door 500 is fullysecured. In addition, when in the closed position, the door mount 15 ortop cover 200 will push against the release arms 557, 572 of both leverstops 555, 570, thereby disengaging the stop arms 556, 571 of both leverstops 555, 570 from the hinge lever 540. This allows the hinge lever 540to rotate freely in either direction. Referring specifically to FIG.12B, when a door handle is rotated from a closed to an open position thelower rod 525 is lowered, the hinge lever 540 is rotatedcounter-clockwise about pin 560, and the hinge pin 545 is raised. Thisenables the front door 500 to be hinged open about the hinge pins 545 inthe opposite side. Conversely, when the lower rod 525 is raised (e.g.,the door handle is moved from an open to a closed position), the hingelever 540 will rotate clockwise about pin 560 and lower the hinge pin545.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 12B and 12D, operation of the lockinghinge assemblies 535 is shown when the left side of the front door isunlocked and the front door is opened from left to right (as seen whenfacing the front of the network cabinet 10), as shown in FIG. 12A. FIG.12B shows the operation of the locking hinge assemblies 535 on the sideof the front door 500 that remains engaged, and FIG. 12D shows theoperation of the locking hinge assemblies 535 on the side of the frontdoor 500 that is disengaged.

Referring to FIG. 12B, when the front door 500 is moved from the closedposition the door mount 15 no longer pushes against the release arms557, 572 of the lever stops 555, 570 and the torsion spring attempts topush the lever stops 555, 570 into a forward position. Because the hingelever 540 is still in the locked position, the inner lever stop 555 isblocked by the hinge lever 540 and cannot rotate forward. However, theouter lever stop 570 is not obstructed by the hinge lever 540 and ispushed into a forward position by the torsion spring. When the outerlever stop 570 is in the forward position, the stop arm 571 ispositioned underneath the hinge lever 540, thereby preventing the hingelever 540 from rotating. Therefore in this position, if a user were toattempt to turn the door handle (attempting to move the lower rod 525downward) the stop arm 571 prevents the hinge lever 540 from moving,thereby preventing the door handle from being moved. This prevents anengaged hinge from being accidentally disengaged if the opposing hingeis disengaged and the front door 500 is open. Should this accidentaldisengagement not be prevented, front door 500 could easily fall ontoand injure a person positioned in front of the network cabinet 10.

Referring to FIG. 12D, to move the front door 500 from the closedposition the locking hinge mechanisms 535 on the side to be opened mustbe disengaged. When a user turns the door handle the lower rod 525 ispushed down, which rotates the hinge lever 540 and pulls back the hingepin 545. After the locking hinge mechanisms 535 have been disengaged andthe front door 500 is moved from the closed position, the door mount 15no longer pushes against the release arms 557, 572 of the lever stops555, 570 and the torsion spring attempts to push the lever stops 555,570 into a forward position. Because the hinge lever 540 has been movedfrom the locked position, the outer lever stop 570 is blocked by thehinge lever 540 and cannot rotate forward. However, the inner lever stop555 is not obstructed by the hinge lever 540 and is pushed into aforward position by the torsion spring. When the inner lever stop 555 isin the forward position, the stop arm 556 is positioned underneath thehinge lever 540, thereby preventing the hinge lever 540 from rotating.Therefore, in this position, if a user were to attempt to turn the doorhandle (attempting to move the lower rod 525 upward) the stop arm 557prevents the hinge lever 540 from moving, thereby preventing the doorhandle from being moved. This prevents the closing of the door handleuntil the front door 500 is in the fully closed position such that leverstop 555 has been pushed backward thereby unobstructing hinge lever 540allowing hinge pin 545 to be lowered through and fully engage bushing600.

As can be seen from the above description, the locking hinge assemblies535 require that the front door 500 be in a closed position before theuser can change the state of the front door 500 (e.g., engage ordisengage the locking hinge assemblies 535). This accomplishes twoimportant goals: (1) it prevents unexpected and accidental removal ofthe front door 500 (when one side is open, the other side is locked andcannot be disengaged until the front door 500 is closed): and (2) itprevents a user from mistakenly thinking that the front door 500 isclosed when it is still ajar (the door handle cannot be moved into theclosed position until the front door 500 is completely closed and thelever stops allow movement of the hinge lever).

To remove the front door 500, the front door 500 is first placed in theclosed position. In this position all of the inner and outer lever stops555, 570 of all of the locking hinge assemblies 535 are pushed into aretracted position allowing all of the hinge levers 540 to move freely.While in the closed position, both of the door handles are turned whichwill disengage all of the locking hinge assemblies 535 by extending theupper and lower rods 520. 525 and retracting the hinge pins 545 fromtheir respective bushings 260, 600, allowing removal of the front door500. Once the front door 500 has been removed, the inner lever slops 555are move into their forward position by the torsion spring 565, therebyobstructing the hinge lever 540 and preventing the door handles frombeing turned. To install the front door 500, the above process isreversed. The front door 500 is placed against the door mount 15 and topcover 200 such that the hinge pins 545 are aligned with their respectivebushings 260, 600. In this position, the door mount 15 and top cover 200will push the inner lever stops 555 backwards and out of the way of thehinge lever 540, thereby allowing the hinge lever 540 to move freely.Both of the door handles are then turned to retract the upper and lowerrods 520, 525 and thereby extend the hinge pins 545 into theirrespective bushings 260, 600.

Referring to FIG. 12E, the engagement between the hinge pin 545 of thefront door 500 and the door mount 15 is shown. The hinge pin 545 extendsthrough and engages a bushing 600 that is positioned in a hole in thetop of the door mount 15. In this example, lifting screw 605 is threadedinto the bottom portion of the door mount 15 just below the bushing 600that engages the hinge pin 545. As the door handle is moved into theclosed position, the hinge pin 545 moves down through the bushing 600and contacts the lifting screw 605. After the hinge pin 545 contacts thelifting screw 605, the hinge pin 545 continues to move downward andlifts the front door 500 off of the bushing 600. Therefore, the frontdoor 500 rides on the hinge pin 545, which provides clearance betweenfront door 500 and door mount 15 when closing the front door 500 andcompensates for door sag and/or worst case tolerance stack-ups.

In the example described above, with the weight of front door 500 ridingon hinge pin 545 (rather than on bushing 600), there is a constant forceon the bottom hinge pins 545 attempting to push hinge pins 545 into aretracted position. If the door handle is not fully engaged when thefront door 500 is in the closed position, the force on the hinge pins545 could cause the door handle to rotate towards an open position andpossibly disengage locking hinge assemblies 535. To prevent this fromhappening all overcam latch mechanism can be used. Referring to FIGS.12F and 12G, the overcam latch mechanism 505A is substantially identicalto latch mechanisms 505 described above in that it has a door handle(not shown), a cam plate 515A connected to the door handle, and upperand lower rods 520, 525 that are connected to lobes of the cam plate515A. The main difference between latch mechanism 505 and latchmechanism 505A is the design of the cam plate 515A. The cam plate 515 inlatch mechanism 505 has lobes that are aligned and extend outward fromthe axis of rotation of the cam plate 515. Conversely, the cam plate515A in the overcam latch mechanism 505A has lobes 517, 518 that aregenerally perpendicular to each other and extend outward from the axisof rotation of the cam plate 515A.

As can best be seen in FIG. 12G, when the front door 500 is in theclosed position and the locking hinge assemblies 535 are engaged, thelobe 517 that is connected to lower rod 525 (and therefore bottom hingepin 545) is extending substantially vertically. In operation, a forceexerted on the lower hinge pin 545 that attempts to retract the hingepin 545 (such as the weight of the front door 500 riding on hinge pin545) will place a downward force on the lower rod 525. However, sincelobe 517 is oriented vertically, this downward force on lower rod 525will not cause the cam plate 515A (and therefore the door handle) torotate. In order to rotate the door handle and cam plate 515A, apositive rotational force must be placed on the door handle to move thelobe 517 from a vertical position. This design prevents the door camplate 515A and door handle from rotating due to the force exerted by theweight of front door 500 on lower hinge pin 545.

Referring to FIG. 13, in this embodiment the front door 500 is alsobonded to the top cover 200 by spring loaded bearing assemblies 610. Twospring loaded bearing assemblies 610 are positioned one at oppositecorners of the top cover 200, one near each bushing 600 and hinge pin545. In positioning spring loaded bearing assembly 610 near hinge pin545, bearing assembly 610 maintains contact with front door 500 as frontdoor 500 is swung to an open position. By using two bearing assemblies610, the front door 500 stays bonded to the top cover 200 when closed,open to the left, or open to the right. Each spring loaded bearingassembly 610 has a generally cylindrical body 615, a ball bearing 620, aface plate 625, and a spring 630. Body 615 is steel or anotherconductive material and has external threads that permit body 615 to bescrewed into paint masked compatible threads in the top cover 200 untilthe steel face plate 625 is flush with the top cover 200, which providesa bond between the spring loaded bearing assembly 610 and the top cover200. Ball bearing 620 is steel or other conductive material and isbiased towards face plate 625 by conductive spring 630 and protrudesbeyond face plate 625 so that it contacts the top of the front door 500.The top of the front door 500 is masked where the ball bearing 620 willcontact the front door 500, which provides a bond between the bearingassembly 610 and the front door 500. The bearing assemblies arepositioned close enough to the bushing 600 and hinge pin 545 so that thefront door 500 can open to approximately 160 degrees while maintainingthe bond between the front door 500 and the top cover 200. The use ofthe bearing assemblies 610 to create the bond between the front door 500and the top cover 200 allows for the removal of the front door 500without the need to disconnect any jumper wires.

Alternatively, as can be seen in FIGS. 12B and 12E, rather than bondingthe front door 500 to the base frame 100 through a spring loaded bearingassembly 610 in the top cover 200, the front door 500 can be bonded tothe base frame 100 through the lifting screw 605 in the door mount 15.To bond the front door 500 in this manner, the lifting screw 605 isfirst bonded to the door mount 15. This can be done by using atrilobular lifting screw, by placing an internal tooth lock washerbetween the head of the lifting screw and the door mount, by using alifting screw that has teeth on the underside of the head, or by paintmasking a the portion of the door mount that will contact the head ofthe lifting screw. The hinge pin 545 is then bonded to the front door500, such as by attaching a jumper wire between the hinge pins 545 andthe front door 500. Therefore, when the hinge pins 545 contact thelifting screws 605, a bond is created between the front door 500 and thedoor mount 15 through the jumper wire, hinge pins 545, and liftingscrews 605.

As can be seen from the detailed descriptions above, in this embodimentwhen the network cabinet 10 is fully assembled, all of the components ofthe cabinet are bonded together. The components that make up the baseflame 100 are all bonded by welding them together. The door mounts 15,equipment rails 20, and top cover 200 are bonded to the base frame byuse of internal tooth lock washers. The side panels 300 are bonded tothe top cover 200 by use of grounding clips 335. The back doors 400 aregrounded to the top cover 200 by spring loaded grounding hingemechanisms 435. Finally, the front door 500 is grounded to the top cover200 by the spring loaded bearing assemblies 610. By bonding all of thecomponents of the cabinet together, separate grounding jumper wires arenot required and the network cabinet 10 is completely grounded andrequires only a single point of contact with the main building ground(e.g., the ground whip 25).

Referring to FIG. 14A, the network cabinet 10 can also include casterassemblies 700, cable management fingers 800, and slack managementspools 900.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, in this example caster assemblies 700are mounted to the sides of front and back vertical frame rails 105,110, alleviating the need to tip or turn the network cabinet 10 or baseframe 100 in order to install, remove, or repair the caster assemblies700. Caster assemblies 700 include a body 705, which is steel or otherconductive material and is formed by a first wall 710, a second wall 715that extends generally perpendicular to the first wall 710, and a pairof support walls 720 that extend between the first wall 710 and secondwall 715 to provide strength and rigidity to the body 705.

A standard caster wheel 730 is attached to the second wall 715 of thebody 705. The first wall 710 of the body 705 has a pair of holes 711 anda wall member 712 that extends from the first wall 710 to form a slot713 between the wall member 712 and the first wall 710.

As shown in FIG. 14B, to install caster assembly 700, the base frame 100is raised by rotating the leveling legs 60. The first wall 710 of thecaster assembly 700 is placed against the back vertical frame rail 110such that the wall member 712 extends into an aperture 111 in thevertical frame rail 110. The caster assembly 700 is then lowered suchthat a tongue 112 formed in the aperture 111 engages the slot 713 formedbetween the wall member 712 and the first wall 710 and holes 711 in thefirst wall 710 are aligned with holes 113 that are formed in the backvertical frame rail 110. A pair of bolts 725 are inserted through theholes 711 in the first wall 710 and the holes 113 in the back verticalframe rail 110 and are threaded into a jam-nut 114 that is welded to theback vertical frame rail 110. The base frame 100 is then lowered byrotating the leveling legs 60 until the base frame rests on the casterassemblies 700. In addition to attaching the caster assembly 700 to theback vertical frame rail 110, the bolts 725 and jam-nut 114 can alsoprovide bonding between the caster assembly 700 and the back verticalframe rail 110. To create the bond, the bolts 725 can have serrations orteeth on the underside of the head that bite through any paint into themetal of the body 705 to provide a bond between the body 705 and thebolts 725. Alternatively, standard bolts could also be used withinternal tooth lock washers to provide the bond or standard bolts couldbe used and the area around the holes 711 could be paint masked toprovide the bond if bonding is desired.

Referring to FIGS. 14A, 15A, and 15B, in this example multiple left handcable management units 800 and right hand cable management units 805,which are mirror images of each other, can be mounted to the front andback faces of front vertical frame rails 105A, 105B and front and backfaces of the back vertical frame rails 110A, 110B. As used herein, thefront faces of front and back vertical frames rails 105A, 105B, 110A,and 110B are the faces that face outward from base frame 100 and aredirectly accessible from the outside of base frame 100. The back facesof front and back vertical frame rails 105A, 105B, 110A, and 110B arethe faces that are opposite the front faces, face inward towards theinside of base frame 100, and are generally accessible from the insideor sides of base frame 100. For convenience. FIG. 14A shows left andright hand cable management units 800, 805 mounted only to the front andback faces of front vertical frame rails 105A and 105B.

As described in more detail below, left hand cable management units 800would be mounted to the front faces of left side front vertical framerail 105A (left side when facing the cabinet from the front) and leftside back vertical frame rail 110A (left side when facing the cabinetfrom the back) and to the back faces of right side front vertical framerail 105B and right side back vertical frame rail 110B. Right hand cablemanagement units 805 would be mounted to the front faces of right sidefront vertical frame rail 105B and right side back vertical frame rail110B and to the back faces of left side front vertical frame rail 105Aand left side back vertical frame rail 110A. In this example, five cablemanagement units 800, 805 can be mounted on the front faces of front andback vertical frame rails 105A, 105B, 110A, and 110B and four cablemanagement units 800, 805 can be mounted in the back faces of front andback vertical frame rails 105A, 105B, 110A, and 110B.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 15A and 15B, in this example each cablemanagement unit 800, 805 is molded plastic and includes a base 810 andnine fingers 815 that protrude and extend from base 810. Each finger 815has a generally vertically oriented cable retainer 816 at its distal end(opposite the base 810) that prevents cables from spilling out offingers 815 and provides approximately 6.2 inches of cable managementlength (shown as A in FIG. 15A) between base 810 and cable retainers816. Each finger 815 has a semi-circular cross-section in which theoutside surface 820 (the surface that faces outside base frame 100 wheninstalled and will contact cables) is solid and has a bend radius ofapproximately 0.25 inches and inside surface 821 (the surface that facesinside base frame 100 when installed) is cored out to make fingers 815generally hollow. The bend radius of outside surface 820 provides forthe management of cable without any sharp corners which can damage thecables. Conversely, inside surface 821 does not generally contact thecables and therefore can be designed without bend radii and can be coredout for manufacturability purposes.

In the example shown, the spacing between the tops of adjacent fingers815 is approximately 1.75 inches (shown as B in FIG. 15B), which isequivalent to one rack unit (“RU”). Each finger 815 has a height ofapproximately 0.5 inches, which provides approximately 1.25 inches ofcable management height (shown as C in FIG. 15B). The finger height andspacing combine to allow for management of 48 Cat 6 cables, 24 cat6Acables, or other types of cabling, such as communication cabling, ineach RU. The area where base 810 meets each finger 815 also has a bendradius of approximately 0.3 inches.

Referring additionally to FIGS. 16A and 16B, in this example each cablemanagement unit 800, 805 includes buttons 825 that protrude from theback surface of base 810, opposite the fingers 815. Buttons 825 areadapted to engage corresponding apertures 150 in the faces of front andback vertical frame rails 105, 110 to mount cable management units 800,805 to vertical frame rails 105, 110. Buttons 825 are inserted intocorresponding apertures 150 and the cable management unit 800, 805 ispushed down to snap it into place. This allows the manual assembly andremoval of cable management units 800, 805 with no additional fastenersor tools. In addition, when multiple cable management units are mounted,a gap of approximately 0.75 inches is left between adjacent units toallow for removal of individual units without having to remove unitsmounted above.

As can best be seen in the enlarged partial views in FIGS. 16A and 16B,on each cable management unit 800, 805, one of the buttons 825 will alsoinclude a protrusion 830 that extends laterally from one side of thebutton. In the example shown, protrusion 830 extends from the top of thebutton and is skewed to the left for left hand cable management units800 and skewed to the right for right hand cable management units 805.This protrusion 830 is adapted to coincide with a slot 155 that extendsfrom one side of an aperture 150. One button on each cable managementunit 800, 805 will have a protrusion 830 and only selected apertures 150in vertical frame rails 105, 110 will have slots 155, which act as akeying feature to prevent cable management units 800, 805 from beingmounted on the wrong side of a vertical frame rail 105, 110 or frombeing mounted upside down. Having slots 155 only in predeterminedapertures 150 also requires that cable management units 800, 805 bemounted in predetermined positions. Alternatively, all of the buttons825 could have protrusions 830 and all apertures 150 could have slots155. This would allow the vertical positioning of the cable managementunits 800, 805 anywhere along a vertical frame rail while stillpreventing the mounting on the wrong side of a vertical frame rail ormounting upside down.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 17, each cable managementunit 800, 805 can also have a cantilevered locking finger 835 formed inthe back surface of base 810. The outside surface of locking finger 835has a shallow inclined lead in face 840, which is angled from the backsurface approximately 20-40 degrees (lead in angle shown as D in FIG.17), and a steep inclined lead out face 845, which is angled from theback surface approximately 30-50 degrees (lead out angle shown as E inFIG. 17). Locking finger 835 and faces 840, 845 are adapted to engageand snap into a locking slot 160 in vertical frame rails 105, 110 (seeFIGS. 16A and 16B) to secure cable management units 800, 805 to verticalframe rails 105, 110. The shallow lead in angle D allows for easymounting of the cable management units 800, 805, while the steep leadout angle E provides more resistance so that cable management units 800,805 can be, but are not easily, removed.

Referring to FIGS. 14A, 18A, and 18B, slack management spools 900 canalso be mounted to front and back vertical frame rails 105, 110 viabrackets 905.

Referring specifically to FIG. 18B, a slack management spool 900 isshown that, in this example, is plastic and includes a generallycylindrical spool body 950, a stop wall 955 formed at one end of thespool body 950, and a mounting wall 960 formed at the second end of thespool body 950 opposite the stop wall 955. The mounting wall 960 has apair of generally cylindrical protrusions 965 that are adapted to engagemounting holes in the brackets 905, as seen in FIG. 18A and as discussedin more detail below. Each of the protrusions 965 has a first section966 that extends from the surface of the mounting wall 960 and has afirst dimension and a second section 967 at the end of the first section966 that has a second dimension, which is greater than the firstdimension. In this example, first section 966 and second section 967 aregenerally circular in design, wherein the first and second dimensionsare diameters.

Referring specifically to FIG. 18A, the mounting of a slack managementspool 900 to a front vertical frame rail 105 by a bracket 905 is shown.Bracket 905, in this example, is steel and is generally “L” shapedhaving a first wall 910 and a second wall 915 that extends generallyperpendicular to the first wall 910. Alternatively, bracket 905 could bemade in any geometry and of any material appropriate for a givenapplication. First wall 910 has a hole 911 and a wall member 912 thatextends from first wall 910 to form a slot 913 between wall member 912and first wall 910. Second wall 915 has a pair of mounting holes 916that are adapted to receive and secure the protrusions extending frommounting wall 960 of slack management spools 900.

To mount a bracket 905 to a front vertical frame rail 105, first wall910 of bracket 905 is placed against the front vertical frame rail 105such that wall member 912 extends into an aperture 106 in front verticalframe rail 105. Apertures 106 are positioned spaced apart along verticalframe rails 105, 110. In this example four apertures 106 are provided ineach vertical frame rail 105, 110, as can be seen in FIG. 14A. Bracket905 is then lowered such that a tongue 107 formed in aperture 106engages slot 913 formed between wall member 912 and first wall 910.Bracket 905 is lowered until hole 911 in first wall 910 is aligned witha hole 108 formed in the front vertical frame rail 105. A trilobularscrew 920 can be inserted through hole 911 in first wall 910 and isthreaded into hole 108 in front vertical frame rail 105. Trilobularscrew 920 provides a bond to the front vertical frame rail 105 bycutting threads into the metal of front vertical frame rail 105. Toprovide a bond between trilobular screw 920 and bracket 905, trilobularscrew 920 has serrations or teeth on the underside of the head that biteinto the metal of bracket 905. Alternatively, a standard bolt could beused with an internal tooth lock washer or a standard bolt could be usedand the area around hole 911 could be paint masked and the area withinhole 108 could be paint masked as well if bonding is desired.

Slack management spool 900 is then mounted to bracket 905 by insertingprotrusions 965 extending from mounting wall 960 through mounting holes916 in bracket 905 and sliding spool 900 downward until the firstsection 966 of protrusions 965 engage mounting holes 916.

Referring to FIGS. 19-21, there is shown two network cabinets 10 thatare ganged, or joined, together. To gang two network cabinets 10together the left side panel 300 of the right cabinet is removed and theright side panel 300 is removed from the left cabinet. The cabinets arethen positioned next to each other such that the sides with side panels300 removed are positioned adjacent one another. Top covers 200 of theadjacent network cabinets 10 are secured together by inserting boltsthrough holes in the adjacent side flanges 202 (not shown in FIGS.19-21) of top covers 200 and threading nuts onto the bolts to secure thetop covers 200 together. Generally “L” shaped steel brackets 660 arealso bolted or screwed to the adjacent ends of front and back doormounts 15. In addition generally “U” shaped double spool brackets 970could also be attached between the adjacent front vertical frame rails105 and back vertical frame rails 110 of the ganged cabinets.

Referring specifically to FIG. 21, the cross hatched areas (side cablemanagement pathways 640 and center cable management pathway 650) showthe cable management pathways that are created as a result of insetframe structure of the network cabinets 10 when two network cabinets 10are ganged together. Side cable management pathways 640 are bounded byside panels 300 on the outside and front and back vertical frame rails105, 110 and front to back support beams 135 on the inside. Center cablemanagement pathway 650 is a larger cable management pathway that isbounded on the left and right by the adjacent front and back verticalframe rails 105, 110 and front to back support beams 135. Hinging frontdoors 500 outward (as shown in FIG. 21) provides clear access to centercable management pathway 650. Hinging front doors 500 inward providesclear access to the corresponding side cable management pathways 640,which can also be clearly accessed by removing the corresponding sidepanel 300.

1. A network cabinet, comprising: a base member: a vertical frame railmember connected to the base member and positioned spaced apart, alongat least portions of a length of the vertical frame rail member, from atleast two adjacent sidewalls and a corner of the cabinet formed by thetwo adjacent sidewalls, wherein each sidewall comprises one of a paneland a door: and at least one finger secured to the vertical frame railmember and extending from the vertical frame rail member.
 2. The networkcabinet of claim 2, wherein the network cabinet comprises a pair ofvertical frame rail members, the vertical frame rail members and one ofthe sidewalls defining a cable management pathway such that the fingerdoes not obstruct the cable management pathway.